Turning Point: Developing A More Inclusive Workplace (UPDATED)

Welcome to Turning Point: Developing A More Inclusive Workplace

The course you are about to experience is designed to provide insight into the unconscious biases you yourself might be holding and how those biases impact your co-workers, the people you serve, and the overall effectiveness of your organization, as well as tips on how to reduce or avoid those biases.

Phase 1: Turning Point: Developing A More Inclusive Workplace

Introduction

Exercise 1.0 Overview & Inclusion Scale

In this exercise (1.0) you will be shown ten (10) images depicting individuals. After reviewing each, you will be required to rate your reaction to them according to our Inclusion Scale, which can be found below.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have not printed the handout for this course, please stop and do so now. If you are unable to do so at the moment, please grab a piece of paper to record your responses and number it from 1 to 10.

Inclusion Scale Rating System:

5 - INCLUDE: indicates that you would intentionally treat the individual as a full team member.

4 - ACCEPT: indicates that you would accept or receive the individual with approval

3 - TOLERATE: indicates that you would tolerate, endure, or put up with the individual

2 - AVOID: indicates that you would avoid, dodge, or keep away from the individual

1 - IGNORE: intentionally pay no attention to the individual.

Before You Begin

Please be aware that not all of the ten (10) images shown will contain a single individual. Some images will contain more than one person. In those situations, please give each individual their own Inclusion Scale score.

As you respond to each individual, try to pay attention to what causes your reaction. Please respond by indicating your honest first reaction to them according to our Inclusion Scale. You will only have 5 seconds for each response so, don’t overthink it. Make your decisions quickly and honestly.

1. Individual #1 Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

2. Individual #2 Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

3. Individual #3 Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

4. Individual #4 Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

5. Individual #5 Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

6. Individual #6 Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

7. Individual #7 Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

8a. Individual #8a Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

8b. Individual #8b Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

9a. Individual #9a Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

9b. Individual #9b Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

10. Individual #10 Rating

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

Now that you have completed initial your ratings, let’s take a look at your responses.

11. Did you give each individual the same inclusion score?

Yes, I rated each individual the same.

No, I did not give each individual the same rating.

12. If you did not give everyone the same score, please list some of the characteristics that you considered when deciding how to score the individuals.

13. Which individuals did you score a 1 or 2? What caused you to want to ignore or avoid them?

14. Which items on the list below might be affected by your decisions?

Level of customer service

Financial performance of the organization

Teamwork

Company reputation

Every employee working to the best of his or her ability

Please select the factors that you think might be affected by your decisions.

15. Which individuals did you score a 4 or 5? What caused you to want to accept or include them?

16. Which items on the list below might be affected by your decisions?

Level of customer service

Financial performance of the organization

Teamwork

Company reputation

Every employee working to the best of his or her ability

Choosing to ignore or avoid others can have a big impact in the workplace. Please select the factors that you think might be affected by your decisions.

Exercise 1.1 Individual Re-visit

Let’s take another look at those individuals and learn a little about each of them. Again, use the Inclusion Scale to indicate your reactions based on the information provided. And please pay close attention to what causes your reaction.

17. Individual #1 Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

18. Individual #2 Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

19. Individual #3 Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

20. Individual #4 Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

21. Individual #5 Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

22. Individual #6 Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

23. Individual #7 Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

24a. Individual #8a Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual "8a" on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

24b. Individual #8b Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual "8b"on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

25a. Individual #9a Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual "9a" on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

25b. Individual #9b Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual "9b" on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

26. Individual #10 Revisit

5 - INCLUDE

4 - ACCEPT

3 - TOLERATE

2 - AVOID

1 - IGNORE

Based on our Inclusion Scale, please rate the individual on a scale from one (1) to five (5):

27. Did any of your scores change?

No, all of my previous ratings remain the same

Yes, some of my previous ratings changed

Now that you have more information for each of the individuals in the images, did any of your scores change?

28. Whose scores down? What caused your new reaction for each of those individuals?

Let's take a look at your handout. Whose scores went down? What caused your new reaction for each of those individuals? Make a list of those things. We’ll pause here briefly to give you time to respond.

29. Whose scores went up? What caused your new reaction for each of those individuals?

Let's take a look at your handout. Whose scores went up? What caused your new reaction for each of those individuals? Make a list of those things. We’ll pause here briefly to give you time to respond

30. You may have given some of the individuals in the images a score of 3 for “tolerate”. Is that good or bad?

You may have given some of the individuals in the images a score of 3 for “tolerate”. Is that good or bad? Well, when we tolerate someone we are not including them. We are not even accepting them. We “allow” them to be with the group but without all of the benefits of group membership. People who are only tolerated don’t feel welcomed, respected, supported, or valued. Would you want to only be tolerated?

Educational Slides Introduction

Your reactions to the individuals pictured in the exercise demonstrated that you, like everyone else in the world, have unconscious biases. When we meet someone, our biases impact our reactions to them and, consequently, how we treat them; whether we ignore them or include them; answer their question or pretend not to hear them; provide developmental and promotional opportunities or keep them stagnant; provide excellent service or just enough to get by.

How does unconscious bias fit into the overall picture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace? Let’s continue and see.

What is Unconscious Bias?

A prejudice in favor of or against a person or thing made without your awareness, intention, or control is called an unconscious bias. An unconscious bias is often based on common cultural stereotypes, rather than on a thoughtful judgment. Many of them are formed based on our upbringing, culture, and the media.

Definition Diversity

In every collective mixture there will be diversity. And that diversity is characterized by differences and similarities. When we think of diversity, we think of differences – usually people who are not like us in terms of race, gender, age, or some other dimension. In fact, we call those people “diverse”. Diverse is a relative term. It means the person was compared to someone else, a group, or a standard, and found to be “different”. An individual cannot be diverse without comparison.

Diversity Wheel

Definition: Inclusion

Why is the organization focusing on diversity and inclusion at this time? Well, as an organization, we are always interested in improving our workplace culture – making this a place where people want to work. In a healthy workplace culture, employees have good morale and they are more productive. Diversity alone does not have a major impact on improving culture and performance. People must feel empowered to be themselves and contribute what they know and can do. In other words, diversity must be matched with inclusion.

Terminology: Minority

Another thing that helps people feel respected and included is the terms we use when referring to them. I’m not talking about being politically correct. I’m talking about the use of accurate, appropriate, and respectful terms. Let’s start with the word minority.

Terminology: People of Color

Instead of using the term minority, it is preferable to say people of color. This term has been in popular use for decades.

The Business Case

Here is a brief example of how having a diverse and inclusive workforce helps the business.

Culture and Cultural Competence

It is a developmental process that evolves over time. Cultural incompetence in the workplace can damage an individual’s self-esteem and career. Cultural competence means to be respectful and responsive to the beliefs and practices of diverse populations.

Cultural Competence: 4 Components

There are 4 components of cultural competence identified by the Diversity Training University Institute -- a freestanding corporate university that provides state of the art human resource management, employee engagement, and cultural diversity solutions. Remember, cultural competence refers to the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, etc.

Exercise 2.0 Overview

In this next exercise, you will be shown a short dramatization of a pregnant woman heading to the hospital, ready to go into labor. As you watch this video, please pay attention to the actions and the conversations taking place between the family, the staff, and the other people in the scene. You’ll be asked to answer a series of questions at the end of the video. Of course, we can't see someone's intentions but, we can see their behavior. And, it is not our intentions that hurt and disenfranchise people. Our behaviors do that.

As you watch, write down behaviors that you think are inappropriate and based on negative perceptions, stereotypes, or biases. After the video, you will have time to provide your recommendations on how the characters should have handled the situation to be more inclusive.

Exercise 2.0 Video

31. Which of the following characters do you think felt welcomed, respected, supported and valued?

Wife of pregnant woman when entering the hospital

Latino male

Wife of pregnant woman at check-in

African American parents

Caucasian child

Caucasian mother

Pregnant woman in the hospital room

Nurse (in blue) who offered ice

CNA (in purple)

32. Why is it important for employees to feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued?

So they will perform at their maximum potential

So they stay with the organization

So they refer the hospital to potential patients and potential employees

All of the above

33. Why is it important for patients to feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued?

So they will return (i.e. market share)

Feelings potentially impact healing and health

It impacts how they respond to hospital staff

All of the above

34. Please provide your possible bias(es) below.

Avoiding/Reducing Bias

Course Conclusion & Quiz Information

That concludes this training module. We appreciate your participation. As previously stated, there are no shortcuts to understanding an individual but you CAN learn to see PEOPLE instead of preconceptions.

Hopefully we've shown that everyone is susceptible to their own unconscious biases and by taking the time to address them, you're taking steps toward a work place where people are welcome and involved rather than just tolerated or dealt with. Let this be your turning point for developing a more inclusive workplace. Thank you.

If you have any questions or want to learn more, please contact them to your HR business partner or immediate supervisor. From the team here at Turning Point Leadership Group, we thank you.

ATTENTION: REQUIRED COURSE QUIZ

Now that you have completed the Turning Point: Developing A More Inclusive Workplace Training, it's time to assess what you have learned. Please click the link below to be taken to your course quiz. **CLICK TO TAKE YOUR QUIZ**